Rabies is an acute viral infection that mainly affects animals in Asia, Africa and Central and South America. It is rare in Europe and North America. Although best known as a disease that makes dogs sick and mad, it can affect all warm-blooded creatures, including human beings. It is also known as hydrophobia.
A rabid animal such as a dog can transmit the infection to people by a bite or even just a lick over a small cut in the skin, which is why all dogs in many northern European countries are routinely vaccinated against the disease. The virus that causes rabies is called the lyssa virus after a bite; the virus travels from the wound along the nerve pathways of the muscles into the central nervous system. It replicates quickly and spreads into many parts of the brain. The brain becomes inflamed, often resulting in delirium, and many functions of the central nervous system are affected. The virus spreads via the nervous system to many tissues of the body, including the skin, mucous membranes and salivary glands.
When in developing countries, avoid stray dogs. Vaccination against the rabies virus requires three injections: two that are given with an interval of one week between them, and one that is given three weeks later. Vaccination provides protection for three years and is recommended for people living in areas where there is a regular incidence of rabies and for travelers planning to spend time in areas with no immediate access to preventive treatment. After a rabid bite, you will need treatment with a rabies vaccine whether or not you’ received pre-travel rabies vaccination.